A dull hallway has become a light and luxurious entrance

Lisa Carrington, a partner in The Blueberry Home interior design firm, and chef Marcus Georgiou, live in this 1970s house near York - between them they have five children.

Why did you change the hall and landing?

When I moved in 10 years ago the hall was sparse with a traditional staircase. The landing was really dark because a small, family bathroom had been built in front of the landing window, which blocked the natural light. When Marcus moved in with me in 2010 we updated the house, leaving the hall and landing until last.

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BEFORE

You started off by creating a moodboard

Yes, the first thing I did was gather my favourite colours, fabrics and ideas, building them up until I had a clear idea of what we wanted to include. I kept referring to it as the hallway developed. It's easy to get sidetracked when you see something else you like, so I stayed focused and made sure that once we started we completed it all as quickly as possible. It took about two weeks from start to finish.

Colin Poole

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Changing the bathroom made a difference

There was an ensuite that we decided could easily be transformed into the family bathroom, so we took down the walls of the landing bathroom. Suddenly light flooded onto the landing and down the stairs, and it seemed to open up the whole house.

Colin Poole

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You decided to replace the staircase

A local joiner fitted new stairs, a handrail and spindles from B&Q. Taking away the old stairs made it easy to fit stair lights set into the string (the skirting board that goes up the stairs). The wiring is hidden behind and the lights operate from a separate switch.

The flooring has to be practical

We're a big family with three dogs (two labradors and a King Charles spaniel) and the hall gets a lot of wear and tear, so we started with travertine tiles. Then we chose a hardwearing striped carpet for the stairs andlanding. It's stylish and colourful and doesn't show marks. I picked out one of the shades from the carpet for the whole colour scheme.

Colin Poole

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What do you like best about your new look hall?

I added various fabrics, mirrors, occasional tables and ornaments to create a furnished look. These touches transform it from a practical area into one of the most inviting parts of the house. The neutral scheme pulls the other rooms together and has had a massive impact on the house as a whole.

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